Polish Folk
Art Decoration.
Wycinanki
(pronounced
Vee-chee-non-key) /
Polish folk art paper
cutouts are known
through out the world
as a beautiful craft.
They have a
distinctive look, and
are made by hand in
rural Poland.
Multiple layers of
colored paper are
folded, cut, and
sometimes embossed to
create stylized
patterns. The
complexity of the
designs is created by
repeating symmetrical
patterns and folk
motifs inspired by
nature and geometric
shapes. Folk Paper
Cutouts come in
different sizes.
Wycinanki
became a popular folk
craft in the
mid-1800's and were
used by Polish
peasants to decorate
the walls of ceiling
beams in countryside
cottages and they were
given as gifts to
family members and
friends. A form of
decoupage, the
intricate designs were
cut with the scissors
and affixed to
whitewashed walls and
wooden beams to
achieve a cheerful
appearance.
Today in Poland
there are some people
who still make
wycinanki, but they
are used as a gifts
only. The colorful
cutouts of flowers,
circles, roosters and
stars with a
symmetrical
arrangement reflect a
particularly high
level of folk art
artistry. While the
Swiss cutouts are one
color only, the Polish
"wycinanki"
are in a vast variety
of colors and shapes
of peacocks, roosters
and other birds, as
well as a variety of
rural scenes.
Sometimes they are
used for
occasions such as
Christmas. They also
look great when
framed. They remain a
treasured form of
Polish folk art.
They are very
colorful and come from
the different region
of Poland! Wycinanki
of a particular region
can be easily
identified by looking
at the design:
|
[
Those
represent and
come from the
region of
Lowicz ]
|
Wycinanki
are similar to the
Swiss and German
Scherenschnitte paper
cutting, are regarded
by many as the most
beautiful in the
world. The art
of decorative paper
cutting is found in
China, other countries
of the East, and Latin
America, as well as in
Poland.
|
[
Different
forms of
wycinanki ]
|
Below is
interesting example of
the Polish paper
cutout art of
Wycinanki
mounted on cardstock.
This incredibly
delicate art form is
similar to the Swiss
and German "Scherenschnitte".
|
[ Old
Polish cutouts
(wycinanki)
from the
wedding / year
~ 1950 ]
|
Other forms of
popular folk craft
popular in Poland:
|
Drzewko
Kurpiowskie
Leluja
Myszyniecka
Drzewo
Kurpiowskie
|
NOTE:
Pictures
on this page are for
information only. We
do not sell/distribute
those items.
Source: PI
